Graham Daniels has denied reports of a breakdown in communication between head coach Shaun Derry and head of football operations Ben Strang.

Reports stated that there was tension behind the scenes, particularly after Derry’s position was changed from manager to head coach over the summer, but Daniels said in a press conference today it was not the case.

“These men who run our football club will fall out with each other,” he said.

“They are leaders. The people who work in this [football] have got to be tough.

“Not just the head coach, the people who survive in football have to be tough.

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“They will quarrel on opinions, constantly, but I know in the end it’s about the bloke you work with and the ability to fall out over something and come through the other end that does get people promoted.”

Cambridge United head of football operations Ben Strang (Image: David Johnson)

And Daniels added, through conversations he has had with both Derry and Strang over the last 24 hours, that he knows there is a mutual respect between the two.

He also said that the pair meet weekly, alongside assistant head coach Joe Dunne and goalkeeper coach Kevin Pilkington, to discuss new targets.

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“I’ve conversed with both in the past 24 hours at length. Not one of them had anything negative to say about the other guy.

“[Strang’s job] is to put in front of Shaun Derry a shortlist of three of four people for each position and you know very well, from the January transfer window through to the summer they would have been working on this.

Shaun Derry

“Every week they have been. And from the summer to now there’s been a weekly meeting with a list of people, the kind of players Shaun wants, the kind of profile, does he know somebody personally who fits, can we get clips of them, can we go and watch them, that happens every single week.”